The Summer
by itwasinevitable94
Summary: My 'in a perfect world' take on what happens between Tony and Ziva the summer after they resign.
1. Chapter 1

This may or may not turn into a multi chapter fic… I don't know… depends on if anyone even likes it.

My 'in a perfect world' take on what happens between Tony and Ziva the summer after they resign.

* * *

It was late into the evening and Tony was sprawled across his black leather couch, a beer in one hand and a remote in the other, mindlessly flipping channels. He had considered selecting a movie from his sizeable collection, but he figured his mind would be too scattered to follow a two hour plot line. The gentle knock on his door drew his attention from the screen, and he groaned as he threw his feet over the edge of the couch, stretching his arms above his head, his back cracking while he paused momentarily, knowing full well who stood on the other side of the door. Though he hadn't really expected her to come, he had hoped she might make an appearance.

After their conversation in the woods, Tony's confusion as to where their relationship stood had not been granted much clarity. He hadn't been certain where she was going to lead the conversation when she had placed her hand over his heart, yet when she had spoken that word, _friendship,_ his heart had sunk momentarily, because in his eyes, they had been working toward something so much more than friendship. However the stutter in her voice as she spoke that word had instilled in him a faint hope that perhaps she saw them as something more too.

He slowly rose onto his feet and made his way toward the door, pulling it open.

She shuffled her feet slightly, giving him a gentle smile while balancing a pizza box in her hand.

"Up for some company?" she questioned, her eyebrows drawing together with apprehension that he might decline her offer.

"Sure," he responded, drawing the door open further and stepping aside to allow space for her to maneuver into the family room.

He noticed she had changed out of her clothes from work and now sported yoga pants and an old, baggy NCIS sweatshirt he suspected had once found residence in his gym locker from the basement of the office.

"I'll go grab some plates. Make yourself at home," he called over his shoulder as he made his way into the kitchen.

When he rounded the corner back to the family room, he smiled internally seeing Ziva curled on the end of the couch, her feet tucked beneath her. He set the plates onto the coffee table, alongside the pizza box, and approached his wall of movies.

"What are you in the mood for?" he questioned.

"Whatever is fine, Tony," she answered.

He skimmed the shelves briefly before landing on an suitable choice.

"How does Pirates of the Caribbean sound? … I know how much you like your Johnny Depp," he added, a hint of a smile ghosting his voice.

"Sure," she nodded in response.

He plopped the DVD into the player and took his seat an appropriate distance from Ziva's side, not wishing to cross any lines tonight.

As the movie began, they both reached for a piece of pizza from the open box and fell into a comfortable silence.

It amazed him how easy things felt between them, even after all they had been through over the past few months. He was reminded of their summer together nearly seven years ago, when Gibbs had resigned, though this time it was them who had turned in their badges. They had grown close that summer, not in a romantic sense, but rather they had become friends, not just coworkers, often spending their Friday evenings at her apartment as he worked to educate her on the finest of America's cinema classics. Things had been so simple back then; before Jeanne, Rivkin, EJ, and Ray, before Somalia and her father's death. He sometimes missed those days and became angry that they had had to face so much pain over the years, but then he remembered where they stood now, how much they had both grown from those experiences, and he was thankful for all the crap they had been through, because it had made them stronger.

He had sensed her eyes on his profile the past ten minutes but had kept his stare fixed on the movie, though had anyone asked what had just happened during the climax, he wouldn't have been able to relay a single detail.

"Tony?" she called quietly.

"Huh?" he replied, drawing his gaze from the screen and meeting her gentle stare.

"I missed this," she answered with a soft smile.

The corners of his mouth turned upward with a mirrored expression.

"Me too."

* * *

So this was kinda shorter than I wanted. Send me a review if you think I should add another chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Gosh, this took me forever to write- sorry for the delay! I found myself lacking inspiration for a while there. I kept running scenarios through my head, trying to decide the best way to proceed with this, and I kept hitting roadblocks. Not quite sure how it turned out… would love a review to hear your thoughts! This chapter starts with a short wrap up of stuff from the last chapter as it seemed kind of incomplete, and then it jumps into new stuff.

* * *

As the movie credits began to roll, Tony glanced over to his partner, who had been oddly quiet for the past half hour. He smiled to himself as he saw her curled into a ball at the end of the couch, clearly asleep.

He debated whether or not to scoop her up and carry her to his bed, where she would surely be more comfortable, but he figured she hadn't slept much in the past few months and assumed she would wake up at the slightest touch. Instead, he grabbed a blanket from the hall closet and returned to her side, draping it across her sleeping form, lingering a moment to brush his fingers across her temple, reveling in the tranquility of her demeanor. Tony then turned to head toward his bedroom and climb beneath the sheets, throwing one last glance over his should to watch her in gentle slumber, thankful that despite all the stress they had been under, she had found peace enough on his sofa to let her mind drift into dreamland.

When he awoke in the morning and tugged some sweats on over his boxers, emerging from his bedroom, he was met with disappointment. The end of the couch was empty save for a neatly folded blanket and a scrawled note of 'Thank You' written in Ziva's careful handwriting.

He let out an audible sigh. While a part of him had somewhat expected this disappearing act from her, a large part of him had desperately wished she would still be there come morning. He knew she was still healing and vulnerable, and he could sense her fear and apprehension regarding their relationship; she needed time. Ziva David would be the greatest test of his patience in history.

…

Ziva sat curled into an oversized arm chair with a blanket draped across her lap and a book in her hand. She had spent the last half hour rereading the same paragraph as she continually found her mind drifting off mid-sentence.

One week had passed since their movie night. Aside from their four month separation following Jenny's death and their three months apart while she was held captive in Somalia, this was bordering on the longest time they had gone without seeing each other. While yes, he could drive her nuts all day with his incessant movie references and childish antics, he could also bring her a sense of calm and ease that no one else could; she missed her best friend.

Having enough of the empty feeling in her stomach, Ziva marked the page in her book and set it on the end table. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her things, making her way toward the front door. Pulling it open with a start, she nearly knocked into a man standing on the other side of the entryway. She glanced quickly up and a smile spread across her face.

"Wow, I knew we had some sort of telecommunication, but I hadn't even knocked yet, Ziva! I come baring entertainment and sustenance," he said with flourish and his classic DiNozzo smile as he held up a bag of Chinese food and a DVD. His smile fell quickly, however, as he noted her bag slung over her shoulder, her keys in her palm, and her shoes tied to her feet.

"Heading out?" he questioned.

She let out a soft laugh and shook her head. "Not anymore. It seems the person I was planning to visit will not be home."

As understanding of her words hit him, his eyes lit up momentarily. "Does that mean I can come in?" he probed, cocking his head to the side while one corner of his mouth turned up, returning the smile to his face.

"I suppose that would be okay," she responded, stepping aside and pulling the door open wider.

Ziva slipped her shoes back off, dropped her keys onto the end table beside the doorway, and released her bag from her shoulder while Tony cautiously stepped into the living room. He hadn't been to see her new place since she had to move following the explosion at her old apartment four years ago, after the whole Rivkin debacle. The place had a cozy feel to it, and he took a deep breath, reveling in the aroma that was so uniquely Ziva. He had missed his best friend.

"My entertainment system is not quite as impressive as yours, I am afraid," she said with an apologetic glance over her shoulder.

"Not a problem," he returned; he wouldn't have minded if all she had was an old VHS player and TV as ancient as Gibbs', all that mattered to Tony was that he was with her again.

He handed her the DVD while he began to set out the cartons of takeout food.

"Bond?" she questioned with a smile, holding up the movie.

"I thought it was appropriate… after our time in Berlin," he added, watching as she dropped her gaze, guessing she was recalling their moment dancing in each other's arms, just as he was.

She took a second to collect herself before inserting the DVD, grabbing a carton of chow mein and chopsticks off the coffee table, and taking a seat at the end of the sofa, Tony joining her moments later.

Maybe it was the fact that she was in her own apartment, on familiar territory, but Tony thought she seemed more relaxed this evening. She sat with her back against the arm rest and grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it across her legs, and extended her feet down the cushions, bringing them to a rest in Tony's lap as the movie began.

Their conversation was kept to a minimum as the movie rolled, and halfway through the film Tony gripped her blanketed toes and gave them a gentle massage through the wool, throwing a glance to his right to gage her reaction, wondering if this was crossing their newly defined boundary line of friendship. When she didn't turn her head to give him a cautionary look and rather gave a sigh before sinking lower on the sofa, he continued with his ministrations. Everything felt so comfortable and _right_.

After the final scenes and the screen began to flash blue, they both sat in silence momentarily, neither wanting to break the magical spell that had fallen between them. While he would have loved nothing more than to spend the entire night with his partner's feet tucked onto his lap, he didn't want to overstep the boundaries and overstay his welcome.

"I should head out. It's getting late," he announced, giving her toes a final squeeze before lifting her feet and placing them on the cushion beside him. He rose and stretched his arms above his head, producing a loud pop of his shoulders and back.

Ziva let out a chuckle, "You are not getting old, are you?"

"Heck no!" he was quick to respond, giving her a sly smile in return while she stood up beside him.

They made their way to the front door and paused at the open entryway. Tony could see the look of apprehension cross her face and knew exactly what she was thinking. They had been careful to avoid discussion of the team and their future during these movies nights, opting to keep the air light, yet both felt the looming dread of uncertainty their resignation left in its wake.

He reached for her hand and pulled her into a hug, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead yet again, lingering a bit longer than what one might consider to be a friendly gesture. She closed her eyes and snaked her arms around his waist, thankful he always knew exactly what she needed.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered into her hair, and he felt her nod into his chest.

They remained in that position for a few moments longer before Tony pulled back.

"I'll see you soon," he reassured.

"Soon, yes," she repeated, before giving him a soft smile and shutting the door to her apartment.

* * *

So I'm trying to take their relationship slowly, with a gradual progression. I hope you guys are enjoying this; I tried to make this one a bit longer. I've kinda plotted something out for chapter 3 already, but if anyone has any suggestions for where you think I should take this, I would love to hear your thoughts! I'm hoping to get a few chapters written today and tomorrow cause my weeks get a little too busy to write with school and everything.


	3. Chapter 3

The knock on his door came earlier than he expected, glancing at the clock to note it was around 5:30 PM. He made a quick start toward the door and pulled it open quickly, watching as his partner worked to juggle two overstuffed grocery bags in one arm, clearly having maneuvered one bag to the other arm in order to free a hand to knock.

"What is all of this?" he laughed, reaching for one of the bags to relieve her of a portion of the heavy load and moving back closer to the family room.

"I am cooking dinner, Tony," she responded, following him into the entryway, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

He let out another chuckle, "Well yeah, I can see that, but why?"

"Because we do not need to be eating takeout every night," she explained.

"Every night?" he questioned.

The implication of his words hit her, and she dropped her head in a bashful glance. They had yet to discuss the apparent nightly pattern that seemed to have formed between the two of them.

"Well, while takeout and I have formed a deep friendship over the years, I suppose we could part ways in favor of your cooking," he joked in an attempt to break the slight tension that had formed following his previous comment.

"What an honor," she responded, giving him an appreciate glance and a carefree smile.

They meandered into the kitchen and placed their respective bags on top of the counter.

"So… what are we cooking?" he questioned while beginning to rummage through the groceries.

"We? You can cook, Tony?" Ziva asked in surprise.

"Well, I'm an expert at mac and cheese," he responded with devious grin.

She gave him a reprimanding stare, requesting some semblance of seriousness from her partner.

"My mom taught me a few things," he returned, lowering his gaze, old memories flooding into his thoughts.

"Mine too," Ziva added with a smile, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on his arm and giving a gentle squeeze.

"We will be making lasagna."

"Italiano! Il mio preferito," Tony replied, waving his hands in the air.

"Yes, Tony, I am well aware of that," she laughed. "Now come wash up before you get your grimy hands all over the food," she instructed as she made her way over the sink to wash her own hands.

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted, while she turned to look over her shoulder and give him a disapproving glare at the formal address he knew she hated.

Ziva pulled an index card from the bag and extended it toward Tony, "I do not know where you keep your cooking utensils. Can you skim this and get out the supplies?"

"Sure thing," he obeyed, beginning to hunt through his cupboards while Ziva began to extract the ingredients.

"What's next, Chef?" Tony questioned.

"Fill that pot with water and bring it to a boil, then add the noodles," she instructed and began to brown the ground beef at the stove.

Tony returned to her side and set the burner on high to boil the water.

"Will you grab the tomato sauce and spices on the counter while you wait, please?" she requested.

He obeyed her orders and paused upon his return to stare at his partner, smiling at the oddly domestic image of Ziva cooking in his kitchen.

"Tony!" Ziva yelled as the pot of boiling water began to hiss and bubble over the rim. "What are you doing? You were supposed to be watching this," she scolded, dropping the spoon she was using to tend to the meat in order to turn down the heat on the other burner.

"Sorry!" he was quick to return, rushing over to resume his position and throw her an apologetic glance.

"I can now see how you have formed such a close friendship with takeout over the years," Ziva remarked, nudging him with her shoulder and giving him a playful smile.

"Here are your precious ingredients," he said while handing over the requested tomato paste and spices.

"Thank you." She took them from his hands and began to prepare the meat sauce.

Once they had completed the dish and placed it in the oven, Tony broke out a bottle of wine while they waited for the timer to sound.

The kitchen quickly began fill with the delicious scents, and they sat in comfortable silence on his island stools, taking casual sips of the red liquid until the oven buzzer rang out.

"Mmm… I think I'm gonna need a copy of this recipe, Ziva. This might even rival my great-grandma's secret lasagna," he remarked, digging his fork into the still piping hot dish.

She let out a loud laugh, "I highly doubt that, Tony. I think perhaps it has just been too long since you have had a home cooked meal; you have forgotten what it tastes like to eat real food."

They shared a meaningful glance before turning to their respective plates.

"Have you heard from McGee…?" Ziva asked with apprehension. It had been a while since the team had all been together; she was beginning to miss everyone.

"Not yet. He's probably working on his next Thom E. Gemcity masterpiece," he mused with a chuckle. "You heard from Abby? She's probably going nuts with whatever new agents they got to take our places. She won't like having to train the probies."

Ziva smiled softly at the image, "She called me briefly the other day. She misses us."

"I miss us too," Tony concurred.

The double entendre of his words was not lost on Ziva, and she bowed her head momentarily, knowing full well he meant two of them, the post-elevator them, just as much, if not more, as he meant missing the team.

He reached across the table and let his hand settle on top of hers, giving her fingers a gentle squeeze. In return, she rotated her palm around, just as she had done previously, and locked their fingers together, reveling in the warmth and comfort his gentle hold radiated.

After they had finished their meal, Ziva began to stand and reach for their plates, but Tony grabbed her wrist. The sudden contact left them both in surprise at the tingling sensation that lingered upon their skin.

"I'll clean up. You did most of the cooking; it's only fair," he added with a smile, dropping her arm and moving to stack the dishes in one hand while balancing both of their wine glasses in the other.

He made his way toward the sink with Ziva trailing closely behind. As he turned on the faucet, he glanced up and watched Ziva pull herself onto the counter top to face him, a dish towel draped over her shoulder.

"You were not completely useless with dinner, so I shall be the dryer," she offered with a teasing smile.

They fell into a comfortable silence and routine as Tony scrubbed the pans clean before handing them off to Ziva.

"We make a pretty good team in the kitchen," he surmised with a quick glimpse upon her features.

"We seem to do okay," she agreed as they locked eyes for a brief moment.

Once the dishes and pans were washed and dried they both stood hesitantly next to the sink, neither wanting their night to be over just yet.

"Up for another glass of wine?" Tony offered with a hopeful expression ghosting across his face.

"Sure," she accepted.

As he pulled the cork on the wine bottle, a slosh of red liquid expelled itself from the seal and landed squarely on his t-shirt.

"Crap!" Tony expelled, while Ziva began a round of laughter.

"Not funny Miss David!" he scolded, and Ziva bit her lip in an attempt to squelch the continued snickers at her partner's expense.

"I am sorry, Tony," she apologized, reaching for some paper towels to wipe up the few drops that had landed on the floor.

"I'm gonna go clean up," he muttered while making his way down the hallway.

By the time he had worked to soak his stained shirt and change into a fresh outfit, fifteen minutes had passed.

When he emerged from his bedroom, a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. Ziva was curled onto the couch with a blanket wrapped around her body and soft snores emanating from her sleeping form. He quietly made his way back into the kitchen to put away the now abandoned wine bottle and glasses before turning to head back to his bedroom.

He flicked off the lights and took and final look over his shoulder, whispering "Goodnight, my ninja," before gently closing his door.

* * *

I tried to mix it up a bit so they weren't just having a movie night in each chapter. I also wanted to add a bit more dialogue between the two of them- it can be so much fun to hear all their banter! Again, let me know if you have any ideas for where I should take this! I was gonna wait until tomorrow to publish this cause I wanted to spread things out since I probably won't be updating for a few days, possibly not even till Friday, cause midterm round two hits this week, but I kinda liked how this turned out and wanted to share it with you all! Hope you enjoyed!


	4. Chapter 4

My goodness, sorry this took forever! Last week was super crazy with school, and I could hardly find the time to breathe, let alone to write. I should have more free time this week to post more often, fingers crossed. I could really really use some ideas though! Please let me know your thoughts! Enjoy!

* * *

Tony rolled over with a moan and glanced at the clock, not quite ready to face the day yet. Shortly thereafter, however, he recalled that Ziva had yet again fallen asleep on his couch, and he wondered if he would find her on the other side of the door when he emerged from his bedroom, or if he would yet again be left with only ghosting memories of their previous evening.

He allowed his mind to wander back to their conversation in the woods. She had apologized for hurting him in everything, and he supposed she had mostly been referring to her actions while in Israel. It wasn't the act of her sleeping with another man that had truly upset him, however; what stung was the fact that she hadn't seemed to understand when he told her she wasn't alone. He thought he had done more than enough to prove that to her over the past year in particular, especially following her father's death. He was just so tired of seeing the pain in her eyes; he wanted nothing more than to bring laughter back into her life. Yet despite all his efforts, she had continued to push him away, falling into the bed of another in the process. He just wanted so much more for her than that. It had been months since he had been with anyone in that way. He supposed he must have just been naïve to think that she too had been abstaining from that intimate act of love. But it hadn't been fair of him to hold her to those expectations.

When she had spoken that word, friendship, his heart had broken. He equated the feeling to that of a child who just found out the was no such thing as the tooth fairy or Santa Clause; how they know the truth but there is that part of them that desperately still wants to believe that that magic exists in the world. He knew friendship was all she had to offer him right now, but he held on to hope and had to believe that one day she would be ready for more. Because when he pictured his future, she was it for him.

She had asked him once if he ever thought about soul mates and he had rather juvenilely brushed it off. Now, however, he found himself pondering the idea with greater frequency; the idea that there was that one person in the world you were destined to spend the rest of your life with, that one person who saw your flaws and loved you anyway and who made you become a better person, that one person who you couldn't live without because you had given your heart to them.

They were such different people from when they first met, to when she asked him that question, to where they stood now. He was no longer the womanizing playboy and she was not the Mossad assassin. They had both come so far, and he was ready to take that next step. Her heart had been broken too many times though, and he feared she wouldn't ever be willing to take that risk to allow herself to be happy. But right now, she was still healing, and he was still waiting.

He drew away from his thoughts and swung his feet over the edge of the bed, making his way toward the door. He pulled it open slowly and peeked around the frame, surprise spanning his features as he approached Ziva's sleeping form upon the couch. Her wild curls were spread across her shoulders and the blanket was tucked tightly under her chin; she looked beautiful. Whether she had intended to or not, she had stayed through the night, and that made him happier than anything. He allowed his fingers to lightly brush along her hairline, drawing the stray curls away from her eyes, before he turned to make his way toward the kitchen to see what he could do about breakfast.

Ziva awoke shortly after to a clatter of pots followed by a hushed expletive. She let out a soft groan and momentarily pulled the blanket above her head; she had not meant to sleep through the entire night on Tony's couch, and she scolded herself for neglecting to be out the door before he woke in the morning. There was no way for her to slip out now, so she settled back into the cushions.

Her mind began to drift back to their conversation in the woods. She had known the minute Tony found out about Adam she would need to talk with him. She had expected a confrontation; for him to become upset and angry, tell her how she betrayed his trust, how she had destroyed what little progress they had made toward a relationship in the past year. But perhaps those were her own latent thoughts; her own disappoint with herself. They were not together however. She should have had no reason to feel such guilt over her actions, and he should not have felt sting of disloyalty; yet despite how things _should_ have been, shame still sat heavy on her heart, and she knew however hard he tried to push it aside, he still felt the stab of broken trust. She had needed him to know just how much he meant to her.

She hated that she had used that word, friendship, to describe their relationship, because he deserved so much more from her than that. He had stood stoically by her side ever since her father passed away, and all she had done was push him away. It had been easier for her that way; if she kept him at arm's length she also kept away the potential heartache. Too much had been taken from her in life, and if she lost him too, she was not sure she would be able to make it through that loss. Yet she also knew that sometimes life's biggest risks gave way to the greatest rewards.

Tony had asked her once if she was happy. The question had hit her unexpectedly, and she still held on to it. She wanted to be happy; she wanted to smile an honest smile and laugh a genuine laugh; she wanted to have a heart free of sorrow and pain; she wanted to allow herself to take that risk and open her heart to love. For the past eight years she had used rule twelve as justification a relationship with her partner would be impossible, but she knew it was a poor reason for her denial of her feelings. She was scared. She had to ask herself if the reward was worth the potential risk.

Shaking her mind of the whirlwind of thoughts, she drew the blanket back and stretched her arms above her head before standing and making her way toward the kitchen.

"You sure you should be left unsupervised behind a stove again?" a voice called from behind him.

He turned around from his position and gave her a teasing glare. "I think eggs are under my arsenal of culinary capability. How little faith you have in me, Miss David."

Ziva approached his side and let out a gentle laugh, "Your hair is sticking up like a porcu-pig again."

She reached up and brushed her fingers through his tousled hair, allowing them to linger a bit longer than she intended before dropping her hand back to her side.

Tony's heart warmed as he recalled the distant memory of the first day he learned she would be joining their team; if only he had known then just how much the wild Israeli assassin would come to imbed herself in his life.

"I think it's a good look on me," he countered with a smile before turning back to tend to the eggs.

"Can I help with anything?" Ziva offered.

"Nope! Just sit back and relax, I'm just about done."

He turned off the burner and divided the scrambled eggs onto two plates, setting them on the counter before moving to grab a stack of toast and jar of jelly from the other side of the island and proceeding to the refrigerator to pull out a carton of orange juice. He then returned to Ziva's side and took a seat at the counter next to her.

"This smells very good," she praised.

"Did I just receive a compliment from Ziva David?" Tony questioned with feigned shock.

She said nothing in return but gave him a playful stare before turning toward her plate.

"You sleep well?" Tony asked amid a mouthful of eggs.

"Yes, I do not think I have slept past six in ages."

He smiled at the thought that she had found peace enough on his couch to sleep through the night.

The ate in comfortable silence before Ziva broke the stillness.

"Tony, I…" she started and Tony's breath held in anticipation; there had been too many times that she had let that sentence go unfinished. "When we had that talk in the woods… when I said I care too much about our f-friendship, I…" Ziva trailed off, and Tony could see the struggle these words were pulling at her. His heart picked up speed as he wondered where she was looking to take this conversation. Ziva closed her eyes for a brief second and looked to recollect her thoughts.

The moment was broken however, by the sharp ring of a phone from the other room. Ziva's eyes snapped open and the two of them stared deeply at each other while the phone continued to sound.

"I guess I should go get that," Tony spoke.

Ziva nodded in response while he rose from the table.

A moment later Ziva heard Tony's voice resonate into the kitchen as he exclaimed, "McGoo! I've missed you!" His tone turned quieter after the exaggerated greeting, and Ziva could no longer hear the conversation. A few seconds later however, he returned to the kitchen with his phone pressed to his chest in an effort to muffle the other end.

"Hey, would you be up for lunch with McGee and Abby around one today?"

"I would like that," Ziva responded with a smile, already excitedly anticipating their reunion.

Tony gave an approving grin before raising the phone back up to his ear. "Sounds like a plan, McGee. See ya soon."

He made his way back to the counter and frowned when he saw Ziva had already stacked their plates and was beginning to stand from her seat, the moment of intimacy they shared before the phone rang now gone.

"I should head out to shower and change before lunch."

"Yeah, I guess I should do the same."

"Would you like me to pick you up? Then you do not have to be seen in that rental car of yours."

Ever since the car crash, the only car the rental company had been willing to give him, Tony had begun to refer to as the women repellent and had made daily complaints as to its hideousness.

"That would be great! I'll be ready at 12:30."

* * *

So here I tried to go into Tony and Ziva's thoughts a bit more to get a feel for where they both stand with the progression of their relationship. I also wanted to get the team back together, or at least part of the team, so we'll see that in the next chapter. I was hoping to get a few chapters done this long weekend, but we were on a family vacation so I didn't have much time to write during the day and apparently my late night typing was too disturbing for my sister who was trying to sleep, so I was banned from my laptop. Again, if you guys give me some ideas I'll be able to update more frequently! Oh, and sorry about the phone ringing :)


	5. Chapter 5

As Tony and Ziva rounded the corner and approached the café where they would be eating for lunch, they could see Abby and McGee already there waiting for them.

"Tony! Ziva!" Abby cried and came barreling toward the pair with arms extended, grabbing them both in a tight embrace. "I've missed you guys so much!"

After she finally pulled back to release her former coworkers, Ziva gave her an endearing smile, "I have missed you too, Abby."

By this time, McGee had finally caught up with the group, and Tony moved to meet him.

"Good to see you, Tony," McGee spoke, extending his arm for a handshake.

"Awe, come here Probie," Tony exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, which the younger man awkwardly returned.

After greetings were exchanged, they were directed to a table on the café patio. A soft breeze ran through the warm, early summer air, a perfect day to spend outside.

They scanned the menu and each placed their orders, falling into casual conversation while they waited for their food to arrive.

"So, how are things around the office?" Tony finally questioned halfway through the meal, the subject of work having been carefully avoided by all until then.

Abby's usually happy demeanor turned gloomy as she spoke, "It's not the same without you guys. Vance threw together a rookie team; I don't think any one of them really has a clue what they're doing. Dorneget got promoted to full time field agent though; he's having the time of his life."

"Well that's good for the probie Probie," Tony supported with a laugh.

"Think we'll hear from Gibbs any time soon?" McGee wondered.

"Who knows? It's not the first time he's gone with the wind," Tony surmised.

"Don't you dare say that Anthony DiNozzo! He's coming back!" Abby exclaimed.

Tony held up his hands in surrender, "Sorry Abs, you're right, of course he'll be back."

Abby crossed her arms and let out a satisfied 'humph' with Tony's agreement.

By this point Tony took notice of Ziva's quiet disposition, not having said a word since the subject of work had been brought up. He extended his arm under the table and lightly grazed his pinky along the backside of her hand, looking to draw her out of her head and give her reassurance. He could feel her tremble slightly before her gaze shot up to meet his; he dropped his hand as he received her message: too much.

"So have you two been spending much time together?" Abby asked with a knowing glint in her eye, wanting to divert the conversation to something a little less dreary than her friends' current states of unemployment and their MIA boss.

"Occasionally," Ziva replied, knowing neither of them wanted to reveal just how much time they had actually been spending together since their resignation.

Abby conceded with not pushing for further explanation and again shifted the conversation, "That's good. I've been trying to get McGee to come watch my bowling team. I think we've really got a good shot at making it to the championships this year!"

"I'll come if you can convince these two to go too," McGee bargained.

Abby turned her puppy dog stare on her two friends sitting across the table, leaving them little choice but to agree to come as well.

"So, has the great Thom E. Gemcity begun his next best seller?" Tony asked in a teasing tone.

"I actually have, Tony," McGee replied with confidence.

"This one is not about us again, I hope?" Ziva questioned.

"Well my readers really seemed taken by the characters, especially the relationship between Lisa and Tommy, so why abandon a good thing?" he answered.

Tony threw a glance in Ziva's direction and took note of her lowered gaze.

"As long as this one doesn't send any crazed fans off to kill me, I think it's great Timmy," Abby encouraged with a smile.

The conversation continued lightheartedly while the old colleagues caught up on each other's activities since they had last been together. When the checks arrived, none of them really wanted to leave, but Abby had to get back to the lab to run some tests for a current case, so they all rose and proceeded with goodbyes.

"Promise you'll keep in touch," Abby pleaded as she gave Ziva a hug and pulled back to hold her shoulders and give her a hard stare.

"I promise," Ziva answered, and when Abby narrowed her eyes in skepticism she again repeated with greater emphasis, "_I promise_."

The second reassurance seemed to satisfy Abby, and she gave Ziva a beaming smile, pulling her in for one last hug before the group parted ways.

…

Ziva had been quiet the entire ride home. Tony had attempted to make light conversation, but her brief answers left the conversation much to be desired so he finally let silence settle in the car. He could tell her mind was spinning, but after years of trying to decipher what thoughts ran through that pretty little head of hers, he had come to the conclusion it was best to wait for her to talk when she was ready. He gave the silence a few expectant minutes, hoping she would release a hint as to what was on her mind, but the stillness remained. By this time she had come to pull up outside of his apartment complex, but he remained seated in the car.

"Ziva…" he started, still hoping she might talk.

"Goodbye, Tony. I will see you soon," she spoke with an attempt at conviction.

He sat in silence a moment longer, staring out the windshield, wordlessly pleading with her to open up, yet she remained quiet. He let out a sigh and had unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to open the door when he felt the warmth of her grasp fall onto his arm, effectively seizing his movement and settling him back into the chair.

He was reseated but she let the stillness linger a moment longer. She wanted things to go back to how they had been before her father was killed, before she began keeping secrets and pulling away, before Adam; she wanted the post-elevator them back. So taking a deep breath she started, "NCIS was my life. And seeing them again just made me realize how much I have now lost… Everyone there had become my family; Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy... you. And now you are all gone. And without NCIS I feel that a part of me is… missing somehow. I do not know who I am without it."

Tony let her words sink in for a minute, working to decide the best tactic for addressing her worries. "NCIS doesn't define who you are, Ziva. While a job might play a role in shaping who you've become, so does every other experience in your life; from little things like taking a walk through the park and sleeping in on a Sunday, to big things like falling in love and having children. As for your family; we're all still here, _I'm still here_. Just because we might not all be together every day doesn't mean we're any less apart of your life."

He had rotated in his seat to face her and she kept her gaze trained forward out the window, leaving only her profile for him to interpret her demeanor. He could detect a slight quiver of her lip and see a solitary tear begin its descent down her cheek while a light breeze ruffled her curls as it blew through the open convertible top.

The sight broke his heart, and he reached out to place his hand over hers that was still gripped tightly to the steering wheel. He gave her fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze and she turned her head to face him. A small, appreciative smile crossed her features in response.

He debated whether or not to invite her up for a late afternoon movie, but decided against it. While trying to decipher the thoughts of Ziva David proved to be an extreme challenge in which ninety percent of the time she was left a complete mystery, he was able to decode the other ten percent with nearly infallible accuracy, as it was usually always a desire to be left alone. Though he often chose to ignore her silent plead for solitude, this time he yielded and made to get out of the car.

"At lo levad," Tony spoke quietly while he leaned down across the door and kept their gazes locked.

"I know," she confirmed.

And this time he knew their interpretations were the same.

* * *

Sorry there isn't as much Tiva in this one. I wasn't really in the mood to write this chapter cause I had inspiration hit me for the next one, so I had abandoned this to write the next, so I'm not quite sure how this ended up turning out. Hope you enjoyed the team time though! The next chapter should be up tomorrow; I think it's my favorite one so far :)


	6. Chapter 6

This is the first time I've really taken off with an idea for a chapter- I thought it turned out to be pretty adorable. Hope you like it! Reviews make me smile!

* * *

Rapid knocking on her front door brought Ziva into consciousness. She turned over in bed and glanced at the clock. It was just after two in the morning.

"Ziva! Ziva, get up!" a muffled voice called, the knocking continuing.

She rolled out of bed and made her way to pull the door open quickly.

"Tony, you are going to wake my neighbors! What are you-"

"Come on! We gotta hurry!" he cut her off, speaking with urgency and grabbing for her hand to pull her into the hallway.

She reached behind her and snatched her keys from the table beside the entryway before she yanked the door shut and Tony began to tow her toward the stairwell.

"Tony, what is wrong with you? You are scaring me." His rushed demeanor had panic spreading through her.

He left her question unanswered, and his hand still clutched hers while he dragged her across the street toward the small park adjacent to her apartment complex. He came to a halt in an open grassy area and dropped her hand. It was then she noticed he had a blanket tucked under his arm which he was now beginning to spread across the ground. After it was carefully arranged he plopped himself down. Ziva stood to the side in a state of bewilderment, not understanding what he was doing.

"Come on," Tony coaxed, reaching up to lock his fingers with hers and tug her down beside him.

She gave him a puzzled expression, eyes squinted and brows furrowed as she attempted to determine what he was up to. He returned a beaming smile before pulling them down to lie flat on their backs.

"Look!" he exclaimed with a breath of awe and wonder.

Ziva turned her head and gave him a final quizzical glance before she moved to allow her eyes to scan the night sky. Moments later she let out a quiet gasp when she saw the reason for him dragging her out here in the middle of the night.

A beam of light shot across the sky, quickly followed by the flash of two others from different directions.

"It's a meteor shower," he explained.

"It is beautiful," Ziva breathed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

She couldn't be sure how long they laid there. Possibly hours. They were both so deeply lost in the moment with each other, shoulders brushing and fingers entwined.

The early summer day had been warm but with the descent of the sun the air had become cool, and Ziva released a shiver of her shoulders.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw Ziva shudder and it was then that he took note of her bare legs and arms in boxer shorts and tank top. In his rush to get outside, he hadn't realized she wasn't the most prepared to spend an evening outdoors. He sat up and shrugged out of his sweatshirt, extending it to her.

"Here. You're freezing."

Ziva gave him a small, appreciative smile and accepted his gesture, slipping her arms into the sleeves that still radiated heat from her partner and wrapping it around her small frame. She dropped her glance toward Tony who had proceeded to lie down again, and a smile of endearment spread across her face. His hands were locked behind his head and his gaze was trained toward the sky with a contented grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. The moonlight was reflected in his eyes, giving them a sparkle of youth, and she could not help but to think he looked almost childlike as he watched in wonder at the meteors shooting across the sky.

Tony felt her gaze on him and turned his head, catching her eye. He figured she would abashedly look away with him catching her staring, but instead she kept their eyes locked and her small smile turned into one of radiance, which he joyously returned.

Ziva lowered herself back onto the blanket, this time curling into his side, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck and the palm of her right hand settling on his chest. Tony pulled his arm out from behind his head and brought it to wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him. He turned his head into her hair and placed a featherlike kiss to her temple, taking note of the light aroma of what he determined to be some mixture of lavender and green tea that wafted from her silky curls. The moment was incredibly intimate, and the close proximity of their bodies had both of their hearts racing. He wondered if she could feel the rapid beating of his pulse beneath her palm. He felt her shift in his arms and pull herself further up his body.

"Thank you," she whispered, her warm breath tickling his ear before he felt her soft lips press against his cheek in a gentle kiss. He suspected her gratitude extended to a whole lot more than just bringing her to see the meteors streak across the sky.

She settled back in to his side and Tony soon felt the peaceful rise and fall of her chest pressed against his as she drifted off to sleep.

He fought away sleep while he held her closely for another hour before he figured they should call it a night. He let his hand trail up and down her arm to drawn her awake and she slowly began to stir, tilting her head up to look at him with an adorable sleep-induced confusion spread across her face.

"Hey," he spoke quietly. "We should probably head in. The sun's gonna be coming up soon."

"Okay," Ziva murmured in agreement, her voice muffled into the soft cotton of his t-shirt, though she made no attempt to move from his side, content to lie against his warm body for a few moments longer.

Tony allowed himself to hold her for another ten minutes before giving her a light squeeze and again calling her name, "We should really go."

She slowly pulled herself from his embrace and gave him a frown prior to rising to her feet.

"Help me up? It looks like I'm getting older than I think," he reasoned with a laugh, extending his arm toward her.

Ziva let out a soft chuckle and reached to pull him up. Once on his feet, she could feel his hand begin to slip from hers, making to reach for the blanket on the ground. She held quickly to his fingers however, and brought them to intertwine with her own. The warmth of his grasp left her palm tingling and they both stood still for a moment, holding their eyes in a deep stare.

"Tony…" she took a breath in an attempt to gather the courage to say what was going to come next, "I need you to know that…. _this_…. means more to me than friendship." As she spoke, she brought her hand up to settle over his heart while her eyes frantically searched his face for some hint that she was not alone with these sentiments. He could see the vulnerability in her eyes, how much it had taken for her to say those words, and his heart swelled.

"_This,_ means more to me too," he confirmed, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. He could see relief flood her eyes before she closed them and involuntarily leaned into his touch. He gently stroked his thumb across her cheek bone, drawing her back to him.

The confliction in her eyes was clearly evident; torn between a desire to express more and a petrifying fear of taking that next step. So he pulled her into an embrace, wrapping his arms around her waist, locking his hands at the small of her back and resting his chin on her shoulder.

She wanted to invite him up to spend what was left of the night curled in his arms, to hold him tight and never let go, but she couldn't bring herself to do so just yet.

"It's okay," he whispered into her ear, and he could feel her nestle into his grasp and allow her breathing to relax. To hear the verbal confirmation that she saw them as something more too, was enough. To hold her closely and know she wouldn't pull away, was enough. For tonight, everything was just enough.

* * *

Side note- there isn't an actual meteor shower in early summer, but for the sake of the cuteness of this chapter, let's just pretend there is one :)

So I think I've decided to let this story go on hiatus for a while. I'm lacking inspiration, and I don't think this is all that interesting/unique. Might return in a few weeks perhaps… I don't know… We'll see what happens.


	7. Chapter 7

I'm back! Still not really sure where to take this story, but I got some slight inspiration to write this chapter… I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

It was ten in the morning when Tony finally got out of the shower and made his way toward the kitchen to hunt for something acceptable to eat for breakfast. As he passed the counter where his phone had been charging he noticed the flashing of the screen indicating a missed call. Not just a missed call; six missed calls, and two voicemails, all from Ziva. Crap. He quickly typed in his voicemail code and played the most recent message.

"Why the hell are you not answering your phone Tony? I need your ass over here!" Ziva's clearly panicked voice rang out on the other end of the line before quickly hanging up.

A vision of her lying bleeding or unconscious on the ground flashed before his eyes, and he ran toward the door, slipping quickly into a pair of sneakers, snatching his keys from the side table and sprinting to his car.

Not ten minutes passed before he was rapidly knocking on her door, which swiftly flew open.

"Thank god you are here!" she exclaimed.

"What's wrong, Ziva? God, you scared the crap out of me! I thought you were seriously injured or something!"

"Sorry," she apologized with sincerity, his anxiety and concern clearly genuine.

After realizing that she wasn't gravely wounded, like he had feared he might have found her with the urgent nature of her voice on the phone, he took note of her disarrayed appearance- both her lopsided bun and t-shirt soaking wet.

"You know a shower works best when you remove your clothes first, right?" he attempted a joke.

Ziva gave him a disapproving glare while she yanked him into the apartment. "Yes, Tony, I am well aware that a shower works best that way, however I was not intending to take a shower when I turned on my kitchen sink," she spoke while leading him toward the apparent problem.

"Something is wrong with the plumbing, and I usually have Gibbs come to help with these things, but he is not here, and I did not know what else to do so I called you," she explained with exasperation.

Tony walked toward the sink and flipped the faucet on, initiating a cascade of water shooting straight toward him.

"Damn it!" he shouted, smacking the faucet off and pulling at his now soaked t-shirt. He turned to glare at Ziva and her I-told-you-so smirk. "Don't you dare say a word," he cautioned.

She gave him a final smug smile before lifting her hands in surrender. "Not a word," she conceded.

"So you have tools for this, right?" Tony questioned.

"Gibbs always brought his own," she replied frankly.

"Well then how am I supposed to help with this?" he asked in frustration, waving his hands toward the sink.

"I do not know. Can you go to the hardware store?"

"Oh yeah, great plan Ziva, I'll just walk into the hardware store looking like this," he mocked, gesturing to his drenched appearance. "And I don't suppose you happen to have any shirts that would fit me," he added, glancing down toward his own soaked shirt. When he returned his gaze toward her, all he caught was her retreating figure out the kitchen entrance.

She returned a moment later with a folded piece of fabric and extended it toward him. "Here. Change into this, and I will put the one you are wearing in the dryer."

He hesitantly reached to grab the shirt, wondering which of her disastrous relationships it was left behind from. "I don't know if I wanna wear some old boyfriend's shirt, Ziva," he remarked before unfolding it and noticing the faded OSU insignia printed on the front.

"Did you steal this from my gym locker?" Tony questioned with a hint of amusement.

Ziva merely shrugged in reply and gave him a teasing smile. "Do you want the shirt, or not?"

"I want the shirt," he answered, setting it on the counter and beginning to peel the wet one from his torso. "Got a towel?" he asked while pulling the shirt above his head.

When he had finally removed the garment she was again returning to the kitchen, now with a towel in hand. He accepted it and began rubbing across his chest and dragging the towel through his hair before pulling on the dry shirt. He smiled; it smelled like her.

"Do you need me to go with you?" Ziva asked.

"I think I can make my way through a hardware store just fine on my own, Miss David," he responded with a playful grin. "Back in a flash!" he called on his way out the door.

Tony returned about an hour later with an arm load of shopping bags and quickly began his work beneath the sink.

…

Two hours had passed when Ziva heard a rush of expletives and the clang of metal pipes and tools from her spot on the couch in the living room where she had been passing the time reading. She shook her head and marked her place in the book, moving toward the kitchen.

"Are you sure you do not want me to just call a plumber, Tony?" Ziva questioned with concern in her voice as she stood over him, only his legs visible while the rest of his body was buried beneath the sink.

"Yes I am sure, Ziva," he responded gruffly, sitting up sharply and smacking his head against the edge of the cupboard. "Shit!" he yelled and bent forward, resting is now throbbing head against his knees.

"Maybe we should just take a break for a bit, hmm?" she offered gently, holding her hand out to help him up.

Tony tilted his head upward to peek at her. "Fine," he huffed and accepted her hand, rising to his feet.

"How does a movie sound?" she asked, maintaining her hold on his hand and leading him into the living room.

"How about some pain killers?" he countered while dropping to the couch with a loud sigh and leaning his head back against the cushions.

"You are such a baby sometimes," Ziva responded with a chuckle. She selected a movie from her minimal collection and popped it into the player and left the room, returning a moment later with a glass of water and two aspirin.

"Thanks," he murmured before popping the pills in his mouth and taking a big gulp of water while Ziva sat beside him and began the movie.

Thirty minutes in, Tony groaned and rolled his head back against the couch again; making it clearly apparent the pain killers had been ineffective.

Ziva scooted closer to him and wedged her hand between his back and the cushion, gently pushing him forward so that his forearms came to rest on his knees. She then brought her hand up to the nape of his neck and began a light massage in an effort to ease some of the tension.

Tony let out a contented sigh and allowed his shoulders to relax. "God, that feels good," he half moaned.

Ziva smiled and continued her ministrations until she took note of his unusual silence and the soft rise and fall of his chest. He was asleep.

She pulled her hand back and gently maneuvered him into a more comfortable position on the couch before continuing to watch the movie herself.

…

An hour later Tony awoke on the couch in a haze of confusion. Remembering the reason for Ziva's urgent call and realizing she was no longer by his side on the sofa, and he could rather hear her voice distantly from the kitchen, he made his way in to join her.

"No! If you put me on hold again I swear I will-" he heard her quietly argue.

"Ziva David, that better not be a plumber you're on hold with," Tony spoke with a warning tone as he approached her from behind.

Ziva let out a sigh and turned to face him, bringing the phone down to her chest to muffle the other end. "Tony, you will be here all day if you insist on repairing this yourself. It would be so much easier if I just had an expert come to fix it."

"No. I am fully capable of doing this myself," he opposed with confidence in his voice and stepped forward toward her, carefully prying the phone from her hand and hitting the end call button.

She exhaled a heavy breath but conceded. She could tell she had bruised his self-confidence and could see the look in his eyes that signaled that for some reason it was really important to him to do this alone; whether to prove something to himself or to her she was not sure.

"Okay, if you insist," she permitted, stepped aside to give him access to the sink yet again. "I will be in the living room."

…

Nearly another two hours passed before a loud cheer finally emanated from the kitchen and Ziva could hear the rushing sound of steadily flowing water through the faucet. She gave a soft smile and proceeded into the kitchen.

Tony stood by the sink with a proud grin plastered across his face. "And to think you said I couldn't do it by myself."

"I did not say you could not do it. I said you would be here all day, which was not an incorrect assumption seeing as how it is now past four o'clock," she commented while glancing at her watch.

"Fine, I'll give you that, but I'm interested to see what my payment is for my services," he questioned with a mischievous smile.

"Payment? I thought this was out of the goodness of your heart."

"Oh no, my services come at quite the steep price."

"And how much do you think I owe you for such handy work?" Ziva questioned with a laugh.

"You see my apartment complex has this annual barbeque every summer, and I've managed to weasel my way out of it each year cause of work, but the bloodhound across the hall unfortunately noticed my lack of employment and took it upon herself to personally make certain I would be in attendance this time."

"I do not understand how this relates to payment, Tony."

"You, Miss David, get the pleasure of being my date. If I have to suffer, you get to also."

"… Okay," she accepted after a brief pause.

"Okay?" he questioned, shocked by her lack of opposition.

"Yes. I will go with you."

"Okay…" he hesitated, still surprised by her quick acceptance.

"Tony, enough with the okay's. What time should I come?"

"Six o'clock."

"I will see you then."

* * *

Reviews make me smile! It would absolutely make my day to hear any thoughts/ideas for what should happen next/how I should proceed with their relationship/how quickly I should move things forward, etc! Also, I have two different endings written for the next chapter and I would really love to get an opinion as to which one I should use. Let me know if you would be interested in helping! I would really appreciate it!


	8. Chapter 8

So I was on vacation all last week without my laptop or Internet connection- hence the delayed update. I wanted to post this before I left but my packing procrastination left me minimal time to do so, whoops! Anyway... Hope you don't think this is too awful. Reviews make me smile!

Oh, and I decided to change it to an annual Fourth of July barbecue. As I was writing all this out it kinda turned into a heftier chapter than I intended it to so I decided to break it up into two chapters rather than one giant one. The next chapter should be up tomorrow or the next day, if I get my act together that is.

* * *

It was six o'clock sharp when the knock on his front door rang through his small apartment. Tony was quick to answer, having spent the past few minutes waiting for her arrival a couple feet away from the door. His breath caught slightly as he took in the sight of her. She was dressed in a royal blue sundress with her natural curls cascading around her shoulders.

"Hi."

"Hello," she returned, their gazes locking.

"What's in the bowl?" he finally asked, pulling out of his trance after their prolonged staring match.

"Pasta salad. It is customary to bring something to share to these things, yes?" she questioned, immediately self-conscious that she had incorrect information regarding this particular American tradition.

Sensing her unease Tony was quick to reassure her. "Pasta salad's great, Ziva. When did you have time to make this?" he questioned, taking the large bowl out of her hands and stepping aside to allow her into the entryway.

"It is a fairly simple dish. It did not take me very long to make," she replied, making her way into the living room with Tony close behind her.

"So," he began, "the plan for this thing is to go, make a brief appearance, and then slip out as soon as humanly possible."

"Tony, please, I do not think it will be that awful. Try to have a good time," she requested while placing her hand on his chest and giving him a gentle pat.

"Anthony!" a voice called from the other side of the front door. "You better be on your way out here so I won't be needing to break in and drag you out myself!"

Tony let out a loud groan. "I should go get some Advil; I'm already getting a headache from all this."

"You are fine. Put a smile on," Ziva encouraged. "We should not keep her waiting, no?" she reasoned, leaving a tingling sensation as she ran her hand down his arm and interlocked their fingers, giving his palm a reassuring squeeze before tugging him toward the door.

"Anthony! You came!" an older woman exclaimed as she briskly made her way toward the pair.

"Wouldn't miss it," Tony responded with a hint of sarcasm in his voice that only Ziva took note of; she gave his shoulder a reprimanding nudge.

"And who is this beautiful woman? I didn't know you were seeing someone!" she said, looking down to observe their intertwined hands.

"I'm not," Tony replied awkwardly, dropping a glance in Ziva's direction. "This is my partner, Ziva."

Though after their resignation they were no longer official partners, partnership seemed to be the only reasonable way to explain their relationship to strangers, even though it in no way drew near to an accurate description of just how much Ziva meant to him. Hell, he couldn't even explain his relationship with Ziva to himself, how was he supposed to define just what she was to him to some outsider?

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Martha," she introduced herself, bypassing Ziva's extended hand and pulling her into a tight embrace. "I hope you're keeping this young man in line."

Ziva laughed. "Of course."

Martha threw a distracted glance over the pair's shoulders. "Good lord, looks like Jerry's already trying to break into the dessert table- if you'll excuse me. Oh, and let me take this for you," she said, reaching for the bowl of pasta salad Tony still had clutched in his hand.

"Jerry! How many times do I have to tell you, you can't get into the desserts until we've at least finished grilling the burgers!" she yelled while rushing off.

"She seems sweet," Ziva remarked.

"Try saying that after finding her in bed with your father- not a pretty picture. I think there's been permanent scarring done to my retinas," he replied with a shudder of disgust while Ziva again gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Tony!" a man appearing to be about her partner's age then called from across the street.

Ziva lifted a questioning gaze. "Friend from fourth floor," he explained quietly before returning the man's greeting. "Brain! How've you been?"

"Great!" he replied, accepting Tony's hand and pulling him in for a quick half hug.

"This is my partner Ziva," Tony clarified before Brian could jump to any erroneous conclusions.

"Ah, the infamous Ziva. Glad to finally meet you. Heard a lot about you," he remarked before giving her a brief embrace. "All good things of course," he added seeing the playfully interrogative stare Ziva had trained on Tony. "Hey, I think we've finally got a detective position opening up at the precinct. Still want me to slip your resume in for the job offer?"

"Job offer?" Ziva questioned, looking toward Tony.

Tony released an internal sigh. He hadn't intended for Ziva to find out like this. Neither of them had discussed their resignation much. He had been hoping they would resign and Gibbs would return and they would all get their jobs back with relative quickness. Yet as the days wore on his bank accounts continued to dwindle, and he found himself considering a new job with greater seriousness.

"Brian works for the MPD. I asked him a few weeks ago about any open positions. I'll review my resume and think about shooting you an email," Tony concluded, knowing he needed to address things with Ziva first. "Thanks man."

"Sure thing. With all your experience, I'm sure you'd be a shoe in for the job. I'll catch you guys later!" he called while walking off to rejoin a heavily pregnant woman Ziva assumed must be his wife.

"I was gonna tell you if anything ever came of it. It's just, I think we all thought we'd get our jobs back in a flash and it's now been weeks and we still haven't heard from Gibbs and-"

"It is okay. I understand Tony," Ziva offered. Tony could, however, detect the brief flash of dejection that crossed her eyes.

"Anthony!" Martha interrupted again as she came hustling back over to the pair, and Tony gave Ziva a we'll-talk-about-this-later look. "Bill from third floor was supposed to be manning the grill, but I think he's already had one too many beers. Could you just be a doll and take over for him?"

"Um," Tony paused and glanced hesitantly toward Ziva, not wanting to leave her alone with all these unfamiliar people.

She returned an encouraging smile. "Go. I will be fine here."

"Okay, but if anyone gives you any trouble…"

"I have a paperclip in my bag," Ziva finished.

Martha passed a confused glance between the pair, realizing she was clearly missing some sort of inside joke.

Tony let out a soft laugh, "Good. I'll be back soon." He then proceeded to follow Martha toward the grill.

Meanwhile, Ziva took a seat in one of the numerous plastic outdoor patio chairs that were set up around various tables and watched the few children from the complex in amusement as they chased each other around the grass with squirt guns.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice asked, drawing Ziva's gaze from the children and onto the pregnant woman she saw earlier with Brian.

"By all means," Ziva replied, motioning toward the empty chair beside her.

The woman pulled the chair out a good distance from the table in order to accommodate her large belly and sat down with a loud breath. "I'm Mia, Brian's wife," she introduced.

"Ziva," she returned, reaching out to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you. Tony's partner, right? I had been waiting with Brian while he chatted with Tony, but I could tell they were gonna be a while, and my feet were killing me. It's time for this baby to just pop out already," Mia sighed while bringing her hand to rub her stomach.

"How far along are you?" Ziva questioned with a smile.

"Eight months," she answered with heavy breath.

"Do you know if you are having a boy or a girl?"

"Nope. Brian wanted to find out, but I wanted to be surprised. And of course the wife always wins," Mia added with a wink and a soft chuckle.

Ziva laughed along with her. "So how long have your husband and Tony been friends?"

"Only about two years. We had just moved here from Pennsylvania for Brian's new job at the precinct. We were moving a bunch of boxes in when Tony was coming back from a game of basketball with four of his frat buddies. He offered to help carry stuff up, and with all five of the boys working we got moved in in no time. Tony invited Brian over to join them for a beer after, and they've been friends ever since," Mia explained. "It was really sweet actually. Brian had been worried about moving to a new place where he didn't know anyone, so I was really glad he met Tony that first night. He's a great guy, Tony is. You're lucky to have him in your life," she added.

"I know," Ziva confirmed in a wistful tone.

Before she could add any more, Brian approached the women. "You girls better not be spreading gossip about us."

Ziva glanced around in search of Tony, as she assumed he had followed Brian over.

"Of course not!" Mia replied with a laugh and turned to meet her husband.

"Hamburger or hot dog?" Tony's voice asked from behind her, two plates coming before her as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and his warm breath on her ear sent a shiver down her spine.

"Hamburger," Ziva replied, taking the plate from his hand.

"Where's my food?" Mia questioned Brian with a reprimanding stare, taking note of his empty hands.

"Oh, not getting your eight months pregnant wife a plate? Not smart man," Tony cautioned, giving Brian an apologetic slap on his back. "How does a hot dog sound?" he then asked, turning to Mia and offering his plate.

"Delicious," she answered with a smile before giving her husband a chastising glare. "I'm glad there's at least one gentleman around here," she added while struggling to push into a standing position from the chair. Brian made an attempt to help her up, but she swatted his hand aside and finally managed to stand after a few more moments. She then began to make her way toward the food table as quickly as her waddle would allow.

"Thanks. Now I'll for sure be sleeping on the couch tonight," Brian lamented and hurried off to tail his wife toward the buffet line.

Tony let out a laugh at his friends' interactions and turned to Ziva. "Should we go load up on the other food?"

"Sounds good," she answered, following him toward the food.

"Looks like your pasta salad was a hit- it was all gone. I was looking forward to trying some," he pouted as they returned to their table and rejoined Brian and Mia who had already arrived back with full plates.

"I will make a special batch just for you sometime, Tony," Ziva offered with a soft pat on the back of his hand.

"I'm gonna hold you to that Miss David."

They passed most of the evening in pleasant conversation with Brian and Mia before the sky began to dim. As night continued to fall, chairs began to shift as the majority of the group began to congregate in a cluster along the sidewalk.

"Come on," Tony coaxed, tugging at Ziva's hand. She gave him an inquisitive glance. "Fireworks are gonna start," he explained with a childlike gleam in his eyes.

* * *

I haven't gotten too much feedback on this thing so I'm just gonna assume either A) you don't find it too horrible or B) you think it's pretty bad and don't have the heart to tell me. Aaaaanyway, either way I guess I'll just continue with these sporadic updates. If you're still reading this, thanks for hanging in there with me despite my terrible updating habits.


	9. Chapter 9

Sorry for the delayed update- after everything that's happened recently, this chapter was extremely painful for me to try and finish. (by the way, my best friend who I freak out with over NCIS stuff is stuck out in nowheresville on a navy vessel for summer training without cell service, leaving me all alone, so if any of you want someone to cry with, I'm your girl!) I wasn't really sure if I wanted to continue with this story after everything, but then I told myself it might help me make it through things, cause even if Tiva can't happen in real life, I can at least make them happen in my own little fantasy world. Therefore this story will trudge on amid the devastation. Again, sorry this took so long- I made a vow that I could not leave the house today until I finished this! Anyway, I hope it perhaps helps to put a small smile back onto your little Tiva loving faces!

* * *

They took a seat on the edge of the curb a short distance away from the rest of the neighbors clustered along the sidewalk.

"Listen, Ziva, about the job-" Tony started.

"It is fine. Really, Tony. I understand," she spoke, cutting him off.

"Please stop saying everything is fine, Ziva. I really hate when you say that word." His tone was not angry, just upset.

"What do you want me to say?" she questioned, her brow furrowed in distress.

"I don't know…" Tony trailed off. "Things just weren't supposed to happen like this… I just want our team back."

"I know. So do I," she agreed in a quiet voice.

"All I know is that I can't live off my savings forever. I was gonna wait until August to make any decisions- you know- and hope that we hear something about Gibbs before then."

"That sounds reasonable," she accepted.

"I feel like all this sitting around isn't like us though. Like we should be out there snooping for clues about where Gibbs is, and McGee should be doing his little computer hacking thingy to figure out what's up, and Abby should be spying from the inside and feeding us secret information..." He took a moment to pause. "But we're not. We're just sitting here, doing whatever _this_ is, and I feel like we're letting the team down or something."

Ziva let out a sigh. "Yes, I have been feeling the same way. But things seem so different this time… You want to do some digging, yes?" she questioned.

"You don't?" he returned.

"That is not what I said. It just seems that whatever is going on is so much bigger than all of us. Perhaps this time we should stay out of things."

Tony took note of the lack of conviction in her voice. "Come on Ziva, I know you don't really feel that way."

"No, I do not," she admitted; he knew her too well. "Let us just enjoy tonight though, okay? And we can think about all this mess another day." As she spoke, her fingers ghosted across his arm before settling above the back of his hand and turning his palm over to allow their fingers to interlock once again that evening.

They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Tony spoke again, softly nudging Ziva's shoulder. "Hey, congratulations."

"What am I being congratulated for?" she questioned with a playful tone.

"It's your fourth Fourth of July as an official American citizen," he explained.

"Oh. Yes, I suppose it is," she agreed with a small smile.

"You know, I never apologized for missing it," Tony added after another brief pause in their conversation.

"For missing what?"

"Your citizenship ceremony. I promised I would be there, and I wasn't."

"It was out of your control, Tony. You had orders. I understand."

"I don't like that I broke a promise I made you," he spoke with a soft voice, his gaze trained downward.

Ziva reached over with her other hand that was not currently clutched in his grasp and cupped his cheek in her palm, forcing him to face her. "I forgive you," she responded quietly before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss to his stubbled skin.

Ziva proceeded to pull back and bring her head to rest on Tony's shoulder, a smile forming across her face as she watched the children run around in the road with sparklers in hand, drawing pictures across the sky in sparks and smoke.

"Wanna do one?" Tony asked, his head turning into her hair and his warm breath grazing her ear for a brief moment before he was beginning to stand and pull her to her feet.

"Tony, no," Ziva started to protest. "There are not any adults participating. They are for children."

"Ziva David, have you never done a sparkler before?" he questioned in shock.

Her facial expression and lack of response were answer enough, and he yanked her up to join him. "Everyone's gotta do a sparkler at least once in their life. It's like a Fourth of July rite of passage!" he exclaimed. He then dragged her over to the firework stash and pulled two sparklers from the pile along with a lighter.

Once the sparklers were lit Tony began to wave his across the air. Ziva, meanwhile, stood still and watched the childlike gleam in Tony's eyes. He glanced over at her and stopped his movements. "Ziva, come on! You gotta be quick; these things don't last long!" He then reached over to gently grab her wrist. "Like this," he instructed, swirling her arm in a careful circular motion. Once he determined she would carry on the motion by herself, he let go of her arm to continue with his own sparkler.

After their sparklers had died, they returned to their spot on the curb just as the first firework exploded in the sky.

"Are these legal?" Ziva questioned.

"Well, not exactly…" Tony replied with a laugh. "Brian's kinda into them though; always goes all out with these things. He's a cop though- not like he's gonna arrest himself."

Ziva chuckled before again resting her head on his shoulder and tilting her face upward to watch the display.

"Fourth of July used to be one of my favorite holidays, you know," Tony's voice tickled her ear partway through the show. "Every year we would go to this big barbecue my mom's family hosted, and Senior would bring along all these illegal fireworks to put on a giant show. I think Mom got into it more than Dad did." He paused and let out a soft, reminiscent laugh before continuing. "She always said fireworks were these bursts of color that lit up the darkness as reminders that even amid sadness we can find something to celebrate." He again paused. "After she died, we stopped going to the barbecue, and Senior always managed to find a way to be out of town. There was this perfect spot on the roof outside my window though that I would sneak out on to watch this big display that was shot off every year about a mile away from the house. It was so far away you could barely make out the fireworks, but they were there." He sighed softly as he finished his story.

Ziva snaked her arms around his torso and pulled him in close, tucking her head into the crook of his neck, allowing a wave of silent comfort and understanding to pass between them until the grand finale was finished.

"Ready to head in?" Ziva asked against his neck, her lips brushing his skin. "I left my sweater on your couch."

"Yeah," he replied and drew her up with him into a standing position.

...

"Well I was not anticipating staying that late," Tony admitted as they walked through the door into his living room.

"I told you it would not be that bad. I think you had fun," Ziva spoke while she made her way over to the couch to retrieve her sweater.

"The company made it much more entertaining," he reasoned with a sly smile as she turned back to him.

"I should be heading home. Thank you for fixing my sink. I think I perhaps got the better end of the deal- your payment was quite enjoyable," she added with a laugh.

Tony smiled. "I think you might be right." She then began to make her way toward the door.

"You could stay," he offered quietly, uncertain as to if he should be extending such an invitation. She paused. "It's kinda late to be driving back now. I can take the couch."

"Okay," Ziva accepted, her quick response causing a brief look of surprise to cross his face. "But your back is already killing you, I am sure, from spending half the day hunched under my sink. I do not mind sleeping on the couch Tony."

"I'm not gonna let you crash on the couch again. You take the bed. I'll be fine, really," he pressed adamantly.

Ziva debated arguing with him but reasoned her efforts would be futile. Tony was always the perfect gentleman, so she conceded. "Okay. Do you have something I could change into?"

"Yeah, I'll be right back," he replied while making his way into the bedroom.

He returned a few minutes later with a t-shirt and pajama bottoms in hand, having taken an extra moment to change into basketball shorts and a t-shirt of his own. "The bottoms might be a bit big, but it's all I've got."

"This will be fine. Thank you," she said, accepting the change of clothes.

"I'll just get some blankets for this," he said gesturing toward the couch. "Feel free to use the bathroom. I think I might have a new toothbrush in the drawer to the right of the sink you can use."

"Okay," she replied, already making her way into the bathroom.

A few minutes later he heard her soft footsteps from behind him and turned. His gaze slowly drew up her body, noting her bare tan legs and the shirt that barely reached mid-thigh.

"The bottoms kept slipping off, and it is pretty warm in here so I just…"

"Sorry, I can try to find-"

"No. This will be fine," Ziva cut him off.

They stared at each other for a moment before she broke the silence. "Do you need any help with that," she questioned, motioning toward the mess of blankets on the couch.

"Nah, I got it. Thanks though," Tony responded with a smile.

"Okay. Well I will see you in the morning then," she returned, making her way back toward the bedroom.

"Goodnight, Ziva," he called softly to her retreating form.

She paused and drew a glance over her shoulder before continuing to the bedroom. "Goodnight, Tony."

…

He had been lying awake sprawled across the couch for the past two hours; the lingering summer heat and his preoccupied mind preventing sleep from overtaking his conscious. Yet just as he finally began to doze, soft whimpers emanating from behind the cracked bedroom door jolted him back into awareness.

He slowly rose from the couch and made his way toward the bedroom. The scene was all too similar to that night nearly six months ago, following her father's death, and his heart broke again for her.

"Ziva," he whispered gently while he approached the bed and reached out to touch her arm, hoping to drag her away from whatever dreams haunted her sleep.

"Ziva," he again called, softly shaking her arm.

"No!" she shouted. This time Tony was prepared for her reaction and held her wrist lightly to prevent her from striking out.

"Another bad dream," he reasoned with his voice barely above a whisper.

She sagged back into the pillow and took slow, careful breaths, her eyes closed.

Tony stood awkwardly beside the bed, uncertain as to what to do next. The last time he had offered comfort she had stubbornly rejected his efforts, but things had changed between them since then.

Ziva's breath slowly began to even out, and she reopened her eyes.

"You're okay," he whispered, brushing his fingers along her hairline to remove the sweat-dampened strands from her forehead. He gave her a soft, reassuring smile before turning to leave her in solitude, as he expected she would prefer things.

His movements were stopped a second later however, when her delicate fingers came to wrap around his wrist, forcing him to turn back around and face her.

"Stay. Please," she asked with a pleading look in her eye, releasing his wrist and pulling back thin cotton sheet for him to join her.

Tony took a hesitant step back toward the bed and gripped the edge of the sheet, pulling it back to its original spot around her waist. She gave him a confused stare while he brought himself to lie on top of the covers. She soon guessed his reasoning for his actions; he didn't want to cross any boundaries amid her vulnerability. Ziva then proceeded to curl into Tony's side while he brought his arm around her shoulders to pull her in, the twin bed providing limited mattress space and forcing them into close proximity.

And the soft rise and fall of their partner's breaths quickly lulled them both into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Wow, that turned into a lot longer chapter than I anticipated. Hope the end of their little 'date' perhaps helped to ease the pain a bit. The fact that Tony wasn't at her citizenship ceremony has always kinda stuck with me and bugged me, so I decided to address that here. I'll try to get better about updating more regularly. I have a few other story ideas swimming through my head though that I kinda wanna explore, but this story will remain my priority. Stay strong you dedicated Tiva shippers! Maybe things will still work out in our favor.


	10. Chapter 10

So sorry this took so long! I've decided I'm probably the world's worst story updater. I just want to say thank you so much to those of you who have followed this story and to those who have sent reviews. They really mean a lot to me. I think you'll enjoy this chapter :) or at least I hope you do…

* * *

Tony awoke the following morning to a faint smell of lavender, a tickle on his nose from a head of wild curls, and a hand tracing light, absentminded patterns across his torso. Amid the night heat, the sheet that had acted as a barrier between the partners had been kicked to the end of the bed, allowing Ziva's bare calf and thigh to hook around Tony's leg as the rest of her body molded along his side and her head came to rest on his chest. He began to mimic her movements as he used the arm that was wrapped around shoulders to trail his fingertips lightly along her upper arm.

"Good morning," Ziva spoke softly, his gentle touch indicating he was now awake.

"Mmm, go back to sleep," Tony mused, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Tony," Ziva called in a slightly musical tone, trying to pull him out of his sound slumber. "It is almost nine."

"Ughh…" he groaned, burying his face further into her curls. "How long have you been up?" he questioned against her hair.

"An hour or so," she guessed, continuing her caresses up and down his shirt.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I was comfortable- you make a good pillow. But you squirm a lot," Ziva added with a chuckle.

Tony laughed. "Have since I was a kid. I quite like being your pillow, but my arm's kinda falling asleep."

"I am sorry," Ziva spoke while beginning to try and disentangle their legs.

"Oh no you don't," he scolded in a playful voice while tugging her closer.

She did not resist his pull and cuddled back into his side with a sigh.

"It has been almost six months…" Ziva spoke in a contemplative tone after an extended lull in the conversation.

"Since-" Tony began to question.

"Yes," Ziva confirmed softly before he could complete his sentence. "I miss him," she added in an even quieter voice after a long silence.

Tony was unsure of how to respond. Eli David had been far from his favorite person in the world. He had betrayed Ziva's trust and left her broken, nearly beyond repair. He had trained her to be a killer; taught her that emotions were sources of weakness that were required to be buried in order to complete the next mission. He never cared for her like a father should, and it broke Tony's heart that she had had to endure so much heartache at the hands of the man who was supposed to love her.

"I know he did terrible things and was not a good man, but he was-"

"- your father," Tony finished for her.

"Yes," she agreed meekly.

"He was never the father you deserved though," he began, slowly raking his hand through her tangled curls and twirling a ringlet around his finger. "He should have been the first face you saw when you looked out in the audience during your dance recitals. He should have been home every night to read you bedtime stories and tuck you in. He should have loved your mom unconditionally and fought for her when things got hard. He should have taught you how to slow dance instead of teaching you how to shoot a weapon. He should have been so much more for you," Tony finally finished, tucking a loose curl behind her ear before dropping his hand back to rest on his chest.

Ziva remained quiet and reached for his palm, allowing her fingers to lightly dance across his calloused skin. Tony soon returned the motion and their fingers gradually intertwined.

"He did… you know… teach me how to slow dance," she revealed after a prolonged silence.

"Yeah?" Tony asked in a surprised tone, running his thumb along the length of her index finger.

"He told me once that someday I would dance with-" she cut herself off however, reluctant to finish her thought.

"Dance with…?" he probed, hoping to pull the memory from her now tightly sealed lips, yet she remained silent.

"Your hair's tickling my nose," Tony finally admitted after determining she would not be finishing her prior thought.

Ziva laughed quietly before drawing herself further up his chest so their faces were level with one another. "Better?" she questioned, her lips now mere inches from his own.

"Uhuh," he nodded softy, his breath fanning across her face.

Their eyes were locked momentarily in a deep stare while Ziva released his hand and gently trailed her fingertips along his jaw line before bringing her palm to settle on the back of his neck. Tony barely had time to register the diminishing gap between their faces before Ziva's soft lips were pressed against his own. Yet before he could react, the warmth of her kiss was gone as she pulled back a few inches, her eyes frantically searching his face in hope that he was not alarmed by her complete obliteration of the carefully constructed boundary line they had previously been so cautious to never cross.

* * *

Yeah, so this chapter is super short, and the cliffhanger… sorry! It was originally much longer but then I was second guessing myself about things and decided to just cut this off and ask you lovely readers for your opinions about how fast things should move forward (like how this scene should end) and who should say I love you first. Would love some thoughts- pretty please! I'm not gonna say anything about the next update because clearly I'm horrible about that haha


	11. Chapter 11

I haven't forgotten this story! I promise! I don't know why I had so much trouble finishing this chapter. I wanted to have this done about a month ago, but then I got an idea for a cathartic little one shot I had to write, and then I had inspiration for chapter 13 that I was excited about and anyway, this chapter was kinda left abandoned. Hope you think it's okay.

* * *

He held her eyes in a steady gaze, marveling at the pure vulnerability that etched her features, while her hand dropped from his face and came to rest above his heart. She could feel the rapid rhythm of his pulse beneath her palm, mirroring the sporadic beat within her own chest. Her nerve induced, shallow breaths began to even out and her eyelids fluttered closed as his fingers moved to tangle in the curls at her nape, slowly guiding her lips back to his. The soft pressure of his mouth against hers soon dissipated as the kiss deepened; his rough morning stubble brushing along the edge of her lips, sending rays of goose bumps down her arms as they moved to wrap firmly around his waist, bringing his warm torso to mold along her body. His lips began to drift from her own, finding new residence along the panes of her flushed cheeks, lightly grazing peppered kisses down her jawline until both inhaled shaky breaths as he pulled back, bringing his forehead to rest against hers.

"What does this mean?" he questioned, drawing back and cupping her cheek while his thumb ran across her lower, now moistened lip.

"I do not want to be alone anymore," she spoke in a near whisper, pulling her gaze up to meet his.

He brushed a stray curl from her eyes and took a breath. As vague as her words might have seemed to an onlooker, their meaning and implication held incredible weight to Tony as he finally knew their interpretations were the same. "Okay," he accepted, and with his accepting words she folded into his embrace as he tugged her against his side, her body pressed along his while he buried his face in her curls.

In the stillness, a soft rumble of Tony's stomach stirred the silence and Ziva chuckled softly, drawing back to level her gaze with his. "Perhaps it is time for breakfast, hmm?" she hummed against his lips before leaning in and pressing a brief kiss along the corner of his mouth prior to beginning to untangle their limbs and roll out of his grasp. Yet before she could slip off the bed his arm caught around her waist, towing her back to his side and bringing her to spoon against his chest.

"Just five more minutes," he pleaded against the warmth of her skin, holding her snugly to him and inhaling her intoxicating scent.

Ziva released a quiet sigh in willing surrender. "Five more minutes," she allowed.

His arm remained looped tightly around her waist while he placed a lingering kiss to the soft skin of her neck. She proceeded to hook her calf around his leg, effectively drawing his body closer to hers while her hand found his that had been tracing light circles along her hip bone and intertwined their fingers.

They rested in each other's embrace well beyond the allotted five minutes until Ziva finally shifted in his arms to face him and roll him onto his back, pulling herself up to lie half on top of his torso, their chests pressed together. Bringing her hands up to frame his face, she took a moment to run her thumbs across his morning whiskers before dipping down to place a tender kiss to his lips.

"Food," she murmured faintly, pulling back and sliding off of him. She threw her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched her arms above her head, drawing them to one side and then the other, causing her lower back became exposed as Tony's borrowed t-shirt rode up her tanned skin. He couldn't resist the urge to run his fingers across the small expanse of exposed backside, and at his unexpected touch Ziva dropped her arms and peeked over her shoulder, throwing him a disapproving stare.

"That tickles," she cautioned with a reproachful tone, though Tony could easily perceive the teasing glint in her eyes.

"My ninja, ex-Mossad assassin is ticklish?" he questioned in mock surprise while she finally stood and turned to face him, his t-shirt falling back to mid-thigh.

"There is much you have yet to learn about me," she informed him with a smug smile before turning to make her way out of the bedroom.

Tony scrambled to follow, not catching her until she was already in the kitchen and standing in front of the open, nearly empty refrigerator, clearly attempting to determine what kind of breakfast could be made with minimal ingredients.

"I've been meaning to make a trip to the grocery store," he apologized from a few feet behind her, his voice causing her to glance over her shoulder and offer a forgiving smile.

"That is fine. I think there is enough for omelets," she considered, reaching for the eggs and instantly hoping her words would hold to be true at the alarmingly light weight of the carton. "Will you grab the cheese and onion please?"

"As you wish," he obeyed, delivering the requested ingredients and beginning to work in tandem by her side.

…

"Favorite animal?" he asked with enthusiasm, swallowing his last bite of omelet and continuing his round of twenty questions he had insisted upon following Ziva's claim that there was still much he had to learn about her.

"I do not know Tony. Israel is mostly a desert. Our wildlife is not too exciting," she returned, chuckling softly.

"But you must've been to the zoo as a kid, right? There's gotta be something you remember seeing."

In an instant, her eyes turned downcast, and he realized the childhood she had been robbed of had not permitted time for weekend trips to the zoo. Rather than probing her on the subject, he chose a different approach, taking a breath before beginning his story.

"You know, the one thing that rivaled my mother's movie obsession was her fascination with animals. I can't even count the number of Saturday afternoons we spent wandering the exhibits at the zoo… She loved the birds. They had this great big atrium with all these tropical birds you could feed with these little cups of juice. After an incident when I was five and ended up with bird poop splattered on my head, I hated that bird atrium- bit of a traumatic experience for me-" He paused and laughed reminiscently before continuing. "She would drag me there every time though, despite my near tantrums, and spend ages in there talking about how beautiful and free birds are. Once I would finally manage to pull her away to move on to the next exhibit she would lean down and whisper in my ear how one of these days she was going to break in at night and set all the birds loose. She would tell me her big elaborate plan, and honestly, she had all the details thought out so carefully I really thought one day we would come to see the birds and they would all be gone cause she really did it and got away with it." And again, he chuckled quietly. "She had this favorite quote, "The reason birds can fly and we can't is simply that they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings"… James Matthew Barrie- author of Peter Pan. She always did love that movie- and book-" he added for Ziva's benefit with a small smile as he settled his gaze back on her soothing features.

She cocked her head to the side, working to absorb the intimate memory he had chosen to share with her. "Your mother sounds like quite the remarkable woman."

"Yeah, she was something else," he agreed with a glint in his eye that Ziva dared to guess was the product of long suppressed tears. "I think she would have liked you," he added quietly following the disappearance of the glint after rapid blinking of his lashes.

Ziva smiled tenderly in reaction to his added comment. "Have you ever been back?"

"No," he shook his head softly. "The memories-"

"Hurt too much?" she finished, knowing all too well the dull ache so often abandoned in the heart following the wake of painful reminiscences.

A subtle nod served as his response before her drew his eyes back to meet hers. "We should go."

"Where? To the zoo?" Ziva asked in slight surprise.

"Yes," he responded with certainty.

"This is important to you," she spoke gently, an observation, not a question.

"I just don't want you to have missed out on anything- wandering around kid crowded, noisy exhibits, staring at caged, smelly animals included." His joking smile and lighthearted words were veiled in an impalpable overtone of sadness.

Ziva smiled affectionately and reached for his hand that had been resting along the edge of the countertop. "Okay. When should we go?"

"Today's as good a day as any," he decided, squeezing her hand and moving to return their plates to the sink.

Ziva chuckled faintly at his enthusiasm and rose from the stool. "I will go home to change. I do not think my dress from last night is entirely appropriate for kid crowded, noisy exhibits, staring at caged, smelly animals, as you described it, yes?"

Tony narrowed his eyes in a playful, disapproving glare, using his own description against him. "I don't mind that shirt," he teased, his long elusive elevator eyes making their return down the stretch of her body.

His response earned little more than an exaggerated eye roll before she retreated from the kitchen and into the bedroom to replace her bedtime wardrobe with the previous evening's attire.

…

They stood somewhat awkwardly in the entryway, Tony wanting nothing more than to pull her into an embrace and kiss her senseless. His hesitation was obvious however, and Ziva took a step toward him.

She understood his hesitation. She knew he did not want to push her beyond what she was comfortable with; did not want her becoming afraid and pulling away before they even had a chance to see what things could be like together. And while yes, taking this next step with him scared her more than anything, she had also never felt safer in another's arms and knew that this particular fall had the potential to land her among the stars. And the view from that particular vantage point had to be pretty spectacular.

"You can kiss me if you want- you know that Tony?" she spoke softly, reaching toward him and pulling him closer as her arms slipped around his waist.

He smiled tenderly and moved to frame her face between his palms. Their gazes held momentarily before he drew her toward him, and her soft lips contrasted with the firm pressure against his as their mouths moved in easy synchronization until Ziva pulled back with reluctance.

"I will be back soon. One hour," she promised.

"One hour," he confirmed with a small smile as she slipped out the door.

* * *

Hope that wasn't too much fluff for some of you- this kinda felt like a blah chapter. My enthusiasm for this story is kinda dwindling- I don't know what to write and everything I do come up with seems incredibly corny. I really don't want to abandon this but as of now I'm not too sure about things … we'll see what happens. Would love to hear any of your thoughts about where this story should go. The next chapter will be their zoo date and not a single word has been written yet so who knows when that one will be done- sooner than 6 weeks from now like last time though, haha. It's not looking like this story will be finished before the premiere so I hope you guys will still be interested once we learn how they actually spent their summer and Cote's not on the show.


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